What the organization does: The West Sound Service Center provides a number of services, including immediate, short-term disaster assistance, community disaster education, and patient and staff support at Naval Hospital Bremerton.

How long it's been in existence: 88 years

How it started: The Kitsap County chapter of the Red Cross was founded in 1925. In March 1966, it expanded its reach to North Mason County, becoming the Kitsap North Mason chapter, which was later named the West Sound chapter. In 2002, the West Sound chapter merged with the King County chapter.

The most important quality of the people you hire: "We look for people who are wanting and willing to serve the community and who have a do-it-all kind of attitude," said Stephanie Gruss, an AmeriCorps volunteer with the West Sound Service Center.

Are you hiring? Starting in June, the organization will be looking for five new AmeriCorps volunteers to fill 11-month positions.

Do you offer any unique employee perks? "There's always the perk of it feels great to serve your community and get paid for it," Gruss said. "If you're an employee or an AmeriCorps member, you get all your training for free," including disaster services and response training and health care and first aid training.

Why are you in Kitsap County? The chapter was created to serve the community.